And his mommy is tuckered out too! Boo wanted to go outside immediately today, so I took him out on the harness. It was a little warm, close to 80 in the sunshine, and he laid on the porch and rolled around, and I took his harness off so he could really get comfortable. Well, THAT is when he decides he wants to go walking. Ok, but you hafta wear your harness! "Aw, Ma!! *cusses under his little cat breath*" This guy decides he's going to walk nearly around the whole house!! I said no, no tuckering yourself out. Halfway back (We have barely a half acre our house sits on) he had to lay down and catch his breath, and we took our time, and he made it back just fine. But then I decided to take him in because by then we'd been out for about 45 minutes and I sure didn't want him getting overheated or sunburned or anything. He came back in (while protesting) and while Mom and I watched a movie this afternoon he slept downstairs on top of our wood pile we stock for the wood stove in the winter. I put a big fluffy Dallas Cowboys throw on it and he cuddled right down. He was pretty happy.
Then it came time for me to come up here to my comp to get some things done, and he followed me up here and is laying in his box. He got a right bit of an attitude when I attempted to cut off a small mat I found. I didn't hit skin, but he sure laid them teeth into my hand nice and firm, and then hissed at me! I said, "Geesh! Fine! Grumpy! I'll leave you alone!"
We were a bit worried as last night while I was gone, Mom said she heard a horrible clatter and then Boo started yowling. She ran into my room to find him having fallen off the desk somehow, but he is alright. I've got a nightlight for him in case he is unable to see in the dark, and while I am here on the weekends I can leave a lamp on (I don't trust lights on in my place when I am not here) 
 He's been doing pretty great. Up until his unhappiness with my mat cutting, he had been traveling all around the house. He's eaten well and had nice amounts of water. I am putting money aside for his next visit with the new vet, so as soon as I can make that happen (Will call Monday for pricing, if they'll give it to me) I will certainly let you all know. Hugs and kisses!! And a grumbly grunt from Boo! :T Hehe.

I've already decided we're changing vets. I swear I hate learning from these kinds of mistakes. Boo is doing great today. He just finished chowing down on some Hi-Tor, he drank water before I got home (He got Mom to do it) and he is purring and breathing normally. I have even noticed his heart rate has gone down. The good thing is the new vet (Old Town Veterinary Hospital) takes Care Credit. Last time I had looked (Few months ago) they didn't, which was a big factor in me not going over there, besides it being a good 20-30 minute car ride for Boo, which he's dealt with before but not with CRF. In any case, they have his paper on him that I filled out last time I was there with/for my friend when she had to have her cat pts, and I really like the female vet there. 
I will see if Boo wants to go out and we will be checking his belly and legs for any left over fluid. I am so glad he is back to talking to me and purring when I talk to him. That is closer to the "old" Boo than what almost was. Thank God for the cat site forums and the people there, or I would have lost Boo, drowning him in fluids. WOO!! Shake that off and get on with this great day, let's see if he wants to take a walk today ;) Everyone have a great day!!

Boo is doing even better than yesterday. He is sleeping longer, more deeply, and his breathing has slowed to the normal, lazy breathing of a regular cat. He is also breathing deeper than he was. He seems to be very, very comfortable. He meowed and meowed at me this morning when I came in, and was very alert. His eyes are so bright. I gave him 100mL of fluid and his .25 of pet-tinic, and he groomed himself all over. Now he is sleeping again. 
I am fairly sure, unless future events prove otherwise, that he was being overhydrated. He was not at the end of the road, he was not failing because of his anemia, he was being DROWNED. The very sweet, loving people at the cat-site forums had told me before that 200mL a day was too much, but me, I was ignorant and thought well if the vet said it? I questioned the vets every time we went in, no, they insisted, and kept insisting, 200mL is what he needs. 
Well, the vet on Monday admitted, once, very quickly, that yes, he was most likely overhydrated. Go back to 100mL, but "I wouldn't give him but one or two more weeks." Then he proceeded to tell me how surprising this cat had been to him, how well he had done, and he never thought he would've made it this far. Maybe I ought to point him in the direction of Tanya's CRF site and the Cat Site Forums, because I get this feeling they haven't had very many CRF patients, because if Boo surprises them, what of all the other cats I've read about, who were far worse off than Boo, and survived!?
This vet's been in this town since I was born in 1982. I trusted him. Then I keep hearing from more and more townfolk that say no, I'll never go back there. 
I felt so stupid and wished Boo would've reached up and slashed me across the face. I had let him down and ignored the people who had been through it and knew what they were doing, to try and listen to someone else just because they had a paper on the wall. Papers mean a lot in this state, but as of now they mean squat to me and my Boo. People with actual experience mean more. 
In any case, enough of my wrath! Boo is doing very well today, and I suspect his BUN level was up because he had not had fluids on Sunday or any before he went on Monday, and he had been eating Purina One Chicken and Rice Formula (His "treats" after fluids, but I ran out of hi-tor but should have some today) his BUN should go back down, but I am not in a rush to get another blood draw. With his anemia (Still at 13% I might add) I am not rushing to drain the poor guy of anything else.


So far, a good day. Thank you ALL!!! <3

I got home today, wondering if he'd be even worse than yesterday, but to my surprise, he showed me! He bounded down the steps, scratched on his post with lots of enthusiasm, then I decided to take him on his walk. He hadn't been outside in a few weeks because of my worry of fleas. But, I figured, if this was all there was, let him have it. I'm going to copy and paste from my forum post because I am pretty tired: 
"Put his harness on him and took him outside. Before i know it one of our wanderers ("Rocky", a black and white unneutered male) was standing there. Boo ignored him, but Rocky was curious. I kept Rocky away, a good five feet away. Boo continued to ignore him and started to walk down the driveway path towards the road, one of his many paths. He sat down half way and looked around. His breathing was normal. I was looking towards the road when I heard a great big hiss and was nearly jerked onto my face by Boo charging at Rocky, who had gotten too close while I wasn't looking. Rocky was all the way in the backyard in 1.5 seconds FLAT  and the hiss I heard was ROCKY, not Boo (He makes no sounds when he attacks a cat) I mean to tell you, even then, his breathing didn't change. He meandered over to his flowers and bushes to smell of them, then wanted to go back in. I took him in, undid his harness and he got up on his carrier to look out the window. Rocky peered in the window and Boo smacked at the screen, HARD, and Rocky hissed and ran away as fast as he could. I was LMAO. I said, "Well. I guess you're telling us that you'll let US know if you're on your death bed or not, huh?" He came upstairs and jumped up to eat some Purina One, then got back into his box. His breathing still normal. He hasn't done the "laying-flat-as-a-pancake" can't breathe sort of thing yet. I said hold on, let me get your glass of water freshened. Before my butt left the chair he was running into the bathroom and into the tub to drink water. He drank for maybe 2 minutes, not as long as he usually does. Then it was back to his box, where he is sitting now. 
I am not going to give up hope on him until he shows me he's really had enough. He is purring and his nose is pink, though he is trembling just a bit"
"Hepooped last night, a great big huge (Poor baby I don't know how he got it out) normal poop. Solid but soft, not hard. 
And it didn't stink."
I just finished giving him a small oven mitt with some catnip I had rubbed on it (but brushed the actual catnip off) and he loved it. He's laying back down, still breathing normally, and seems comfy. Going to try to stop typing, don't want to bother him. I do not feel that he will be pts Friday, if this continues. We will see. He will let me know. <3 <3 Thank you all

The vet ran an ISTAT On Boo today. I took him in for his labored breathing. He said his lungs sound raspy, and his ISTAT values were as follows: Sod ok, Pot ok, Chlo ok, BUN 102, GLU 159, HCT 13%, Hb* 4.4 (Up from 3.7) ... the vet talked to me for what seemed like forever telling me how well of a job I've done taking care of him. He admitted he didn't think he would last this long, and was surprised. I didn't know what to say because I have to start thinking about Boo pts. Vet says he does not believe he will last but 2-3 more weeks, and then he will start to feel like he is suffocating. I am wiped out on money and have nothing else after today's visit. Nothing for Boo, for bills, for CareCredit. It is all gone. I am waiting to talk to a friend of mine, and also some of the forum people. I am very upset, and not thinking clearly. So I will leave Boo alone for now and go think quietly. I was advised to give him 100mL today and no more. Vet says he is dehydrated. His heart rate in creased but that could've been because he was at the vet. He said it was difficult to tell and EKG's were hard to give to a cat who wouldn't sit still, but he listened to his heart for a good 5 minutes. He said he thought he may have heard an extra beat in there, but it could've been just because it was beating so fast. 


I am just crushed. I have to go. 

It's 12:15pm and Boo has been up to go pee, he has a glass of water here that he has had a few drinks out of, and drank out of the tub. he went to his window and seemed extremely alert, thwacking his tail against the carrier and sniffing the air, looking at birds flying by. He only sat up there for maybe 5 minutes (it is getting up into the 80's today, so we usually try to keep the sunroom door shut to keep the A/C costs down) and then came back upstairs and got into his box. He's just been doing that. When he is up, he is talkative, he seems perfectly alright. His eyes are so clear and vibrant. He meows. But when he gets in that box, his breathing increases a bit and I just feel he is breathing too quickly. So, no fluids today, we have skipped them, but I did give him .25mL of his Pet-Tinic and he has eaten (and continues to nibble) .. I am going to go out of this room to let him rest for awhile in quiet and I will update tomorrow after I have spoken to the Vet about this (a polite way of saying I'm really pissed off and feel terrible and he's going to dang well fix this somehow) 


..thanks guys <3 

If I remember correctly, Boo did have blood work before his dental. They recommended it because he was a senior, and I remember them telling me his blood work looked great, ... but this was a few months before he was diagnosed. When I finally took him back to the vet in March it was because he had lost so much weight, he had snot coming out of his eyes (Dehydrated) and the extraction site of his canine had a white patch over it, like it was trying to heal but couldn't. I will try to backtrack in my posts in the CatSite forums and see if I can find it. 
He ate very well today, but I brought his Hi-Tor to him. Gobbled it down! He went to the pan this afternoon and I followed him to spy. Once he reached the pans, which I've changed all 4 to The World's Best Cat Litter, he laid down on the carpet. In a sphinx position. So I picked him up and put him in the pan, and he peed immediately. He went back upstairs with no problem, up 2 flights of stairs (We have a "split-level" house, 3 levels and 2 sets of stairs, about 7-8 stairs on each) but he looked a little winded when he got back into his box. And when he jumped up onto the chair, then the desk, one of his back feet slipped again. The same foot every time he jumps up. I've noticed his nose looks a little pinker these days, and the last time I looked at his gums (Couple days ago) they were not pale like back in March. I am hoping the Pet-Tinic is working but do not know how long it takes to actually take effect. I forgot to ask the vet. 
His itching is way down and his restlessness seems better. He has been to the pan on his own while I was asleep this evening, has had a little catnip, and is mewing slightly when I talk to him. Then he starts purring. So, we will see what tomorrow brings. 
Thank you all <3 <3
EDIT: Yes, from my forum posts, he had a dental in April of 2009. They used a Metacam shot for pain afterwards, and then the Ketamine/Valium combo during. Awhile later, which I guess I did not post about, he had his lower canine removed and was back under sedation for that as well. In March of 2009, he had a senior blood panel and I posted that his test came back normal, but I did not post the #'s, and I probably did not even get a copy of them. I wasn't doing that prior to his being DX'd with CRF. And at the beginning of my normal post "Booboo is confusingly not well", I discussed his having a tooth extraction. His blood work was fine between April of 09 and the new year, but I seem to remember as February rolled around he had started getting thinner. Still feel like the world's worst Mom for letting it go and putting it down as "just getting older", and goodness, reading that first post makes me realize how little I knew about what was going on with him. I didn't even realize that the snot coming out of his eyes was supposed to be SALINE but he was so dehydrated it had turned to SNOT! *sighs* Wow. 
 Anyway, he is trying to sleep some more so I need to stop typetypetyping. ;) Updates in the morning.

Something else that really bothers me is how many times Boo was given metacam after a procedure. His dental and tooth extraction (Lower canine) was the last time he received metacam, and I even have a friend who's vet gives her syringes of it to take home after a procedure. His dental was a few months before he was diagnosed, which he's probably had CRF for awhile, his genes, I don't know, but I know I will request metacam never be used on any of my cats again. J

Boo seemed to sleep relatively well in his box for a good portion of the night, and woke me up for some water this morning. I am working in a couple hours so I went ahead and gave him his fluids at 5:30 and he was a pure peach about it. He has eaten a bit and is back in his box. He went pee twice last night. I am monitoring his fluids, and will update the doc later today (or monday if he sneaks off before I can get to him) to consult if I see any remaining baggage down there. When he lost all his weight, he lost most of his belly flaps too. They only came back when fluids were given and they settled there (Unless they went down his leg, which I try to keep from happening by moving back from the shoulderblades and manipulating the pouch to his belly gently) but I will certainly keep an eye on it. I wanted him to be able to come down from 200mL/day but the vet was insistent that he get that, even when his BUN went down to 77. (Which is still high, I know) I think he is tired from the week of the trots and the antibiotic. His restlessness maybe has made him worse, when he goes to try to jump on my desk from the chair, one foot will always slide off. I've witnessed him miss a few low jump areas, like Mom's nightstand, he'll just slide right off. He hasn't messed with his 2x4 that he (And Chickster) scratch on, today. 

I just have to say THANK YOU LORD, Boo does not have hyperthyroidism. The vet called while I was in the bathroom. That was a sight in itself, with Chickster in there, and me trying to get out and her dodging back and forth. She'd be a GREAT goalie or football player. She nearly knocked me down. Anyway, the vet said his T4 came back normal. Their range is 1.5-4.8 and his is 1.4. I asked if it was a little low and they said no, not really, it's borderline, but Dr. Mireles said he really wouldn't worry. He was super happy that he had gained weight (7.4 to 8 pounds now!) and thinks things are going fine. I told him about the fluid absorption worry and he insisted 200mL a day was fine to continue doing, and if he had a little pouch left (I told him it was maybe 50mL or less) he said not to worry about that. They do want to run a CBC, Superchem and Electrolyte panel. I don't have the money for the superchem definitely, it is a bit over 90 dollars. The CBC is 30-40 and the Electrolyte is 30-40. JUST to get his BUN level is 16.00 so I will certainly try to do that Monday, to give Boo a break. He is sleeping in the closet right now and is staying still. 
Thanks everyone so much <3